Young children are prone to injuries when they are playing and because they are unable to judge dangerous situations. It is common for children to fall, swallow nasty things or get other injuries like burns. It is, therefore, essential for the parents and caregivers to be aware of the common injuries that their children may get and know how to prevent them before they occur.
Learning necessary first aid measures is a skill that every parent should have so that they can know how to respond to injuries. First aid can save a child’s life before they can get to the San Pedro pediatrics hospital for treatment. Different injuries require different management, and the doctor can inform you on how to prevent these injuries before they even occur.
How Can You Prevent Pediatric Accidents?
The common pediatric accidents include falls, poisoning, choking, burns and drowning. Given below are ways in which you can avoid these injuries from occurring.
How to Prevent Falls
You can prevent falls by ensuring that the baby’s bed has side rails that are 10 cm high. You should also remove obstacles from the child’s play area to prevent them from tripping. Never leave the baby without supervision when you are changing them because they may roll and fall. You can also use a safety gate on the stairs and sensor lights on the stairs.
It would help if you used non-skid rubber mats outside the bathroom to prevent the child from falling after taking a shower. Place soft materials under the swings and slides to avoid severe injuries if the child falls. Do not let children who are less than nine years old sleep on bunk beds.
How to Prevent Poisoning
You can prevent your children from ingesting poisons by ensuring that you keep all drugs, insecticides or pesticides out of their reach. Always lock the drug cabinets and ensure that they are on the topmost shelf. Do not transfer drugs and other chemicals from their original containers to other bottles like for soda so that your children will not ingest them accidentally.
Throw away expired medicines and do not store medication in your bag. If you have to take drugs, do not do so when your child is watching to keep them from imitating you. If you are giving medications to your child, always read the instructions thoroughly.
How to Prevent Choking
You should be aware of the foods that can choke your children like meat chunks. Be mindful that children that are less than three years old can swallow coins and objects that are smaller than a coin. Keep hair ties, batteries, and pen tops out of reach of children. Teach your child to chew and swallow their food slowly to prevent choking. Ensure that the child’s toys don’t have things that can choke them. Learn more details here.
How to Prevent Burns
Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children and ensure that you have a guard for the furnaces and heaters. Always have a fire escape plan and fire extinguishers in your house. To prevent electrocution, install a safety switch and teach your children the dangers of fire and how to respond in case there is a fire.
How to Prevent Drowning
Always watch your children when they are around water and avoid leaving the child alone when they are showering. You can do this by ensuring that you have everything that you need before bathing your child. Always empty water from buckets after use and teach your child how to swim. Learn the first aid for drowning.
Conclusion
Children are prone to accidents like choking, poisoning, falls and burns. It would help if you learned how to prevent these accidents before they occur and have essential first aid tips to save the child’s life before taking them to the hospital.
